Choosing the Right Annuity For Your Retirement Fund

In these days of economic stress, tumbling financial markets and colossal losses to various retirement and pension funds, annuities have caught the attention of many concerned investors. Annuity sales were originally expected to top $200 billion in 2009 but first quarter activity indicates that figure could be conservative as investors seek to supplement their retirement funds and acquire guaranteed payouts.

An annuity has distinct characteristics. There are no other investments that can provide the owner such substantial deferred tax advantages along with guaranteed payments, regardless of market activity. Annuities have flexibility and can be tailored to meet the investor's needs. While early withdrawal penalties from annuities can be punitive, the typical annuity investor selects an option that achieves the desired goal and holds other funds in reserve.

Annuities have been around for a long time. There is a belief that a form of annuity was originally created during the Roman Empire and later emerged in Europe around the 17th Century. The Pennsylvania Company for Insurance on Lives and Granting Annuities was the first American company to market annuities. During the Great Depression, many investors viewed insurance and insurance products with great favor. Annuities blossomed in the 1930's. Those early 20th century annuities had many similarities to some of today's products, which have expanded in scope to meet new investment strategies and opportunities.
Today, there are four basic types of annuities; Fixed Annuities, Immediate Annuities, Equity-Indexed Annuities and Variable Annuities. As with any investment, the client must define their investment goals, assess their risk comfort level and then choose the annuity that best fulfills these criteria. Generally, Immediate and Fixed Annuities are the most conservative while Equity-Indexed and Variable Annuities are more aggressive.

The Immediate Annuity is safe, can yield a lifetime payout and is very popular as a vehicle to supplement other retirement income. With an Immediate Annuity, the insurance company guarantees the investor a fixed rate of interest from a certain period of time or until the investor dies, whichever time frame is longer. A typical Immediate Annuity could be described as Life with a 10-year period. As soon as the lump sum payment is received, the monthly payments from the insurer begin. These payments continue for 10 years or for the remainder of the investor's life, whichever is longer. If the investor dies before 10 years, a beneficiary receives the payments for the balance of the 10-year period. This investment is not affected by market conditions and is popular because of the stable monthly payment.

With a Fixed Annuity, the investor makes a lump sum investment with an insurance company and determines the amount of time of the investment. The insurance company guarantees a fixed rate of return for the life of the investment. When the time expires, the investor can withdraw the principal. Most Fixed Annuities permit the investor to withdraw between 10 and 20% annually.

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INVESTMENTS

ANNUITIES

An annuity provides a means of reducing the risk of outliving one's investment income after retirement from full-time employment. Purchasing an annuity may be a possible solution to reducing this risk. An annuity may be considered the opposite of a traditional life insurance policy. An individual who buys insurance agrees to pay annual premiums to an insurance company. In return, the company will pay, according to instructions agreed upon at the time of purchase, the face value of the policy in a lump sum to beneficiaries when the purchaser dies.

By contrast, an individual who buys an annuity pays the insurance company a sum of money and, in return, will receive a monthly income for as long as the purchaser lives. Naturally, the longer one lives, the more money is received. The holder of an annuity never outlives the return, regardless of how long-lived the individual is. Life insurance protects one's beneficiaries against financial loss as a result of the purchaser's dying too soon, while annuities protect purchasers against financial loss as a result of living longer than their funds do.

Annuity income depends on life expectancy and is thus classified as life insurance. Understanding this is important because the classification allows the annuity's investment earnings to be treated as tax-deferred, with no tax on its accumulation until payments are received.

CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT

The concept of the certificate of deposit (CD) is simple. It is a savings instrument issued by a financial institution that pays the purchaser interest at a guaranteed rate for a specific term. When the CD reaches maturity, the investor receives the principal and interest earned. Unlike bond interest (paid periodically), the interest from a CD usually compounds, which means interest is earned on prior interest earned also. An investment in CDs, up to $100,000, is insured by the federal government.

CDs are appealing for safety, liquidity, and convenience. Less appealing is the lower yield when compared with other investments. CDs make sense as emergency funds, savings for short-term goals, a way to complete a long-term goal, and a place to park; money while an investor seeks more profitable investments.

CORPORATE BONDS

A bond is a form of debt issued by a corporation in exchange for a sum of money lent by the buyer of the bond. The issuer of the bond promises to pay a specific amount of interest at stated intervals for a specific period. At the end of the repayment period (on the maturity date), the issuer repays the amount of money borrowed.

It is important to understand the differences between corporate bondholders and corporate stockholders. The holder of a corporate bond is a creditor of the corporation that issues the bond, not a part owner, as is a stockholder. Therefore, if the corporation's profits increase during the term of the bond, bondholders receive no benefit since the amount of interest they receive is fixed at the time the bond is purchased. On the other hand, the bondholders' investments are safer than those of the stockholders. Interest on bonds is paid out before dividends are distributed to stockholders. Furthermore, the claims of bondholders take precedence over those of the stockholders in the case of bankruptcy or liquidation.

When interest rates rise, bonds lose value; when interest rates fall, bonds become more attractive. Most bonds issued today are "callable," which means corporations can recall them if interest rates rise before the maturity dates.

GOLD

Some investors find gold an appealing investment. Gold has been used as money since biblical times. Several characteristics of gold have made it desirable as a medium of exchange and for investment. Gold is scarce. It is durable. More than 95 percent of all the gold ever mined during the past 5,000 years is still in circulation. It is inherently valuable because of its beauty and its usefulness in industrial and decorative applications.

Gold has been referred to as the "doomsday metal" because of its traditional role as a bulwark against economic, social, and political upheaval and the resulting loss of confidence in other investments, even those guaranteed by national governments.

As an investment, gold is not for the faint of heart or for people who desire a high level of predictability. Its value can fluctuate daily, owing to economic and political conditions. When interest rates in the United States fall, the dollar grows weaker in relation to other currencies. As a result, foreign businesspeople find U.S. investment less attractive, and some of them invest in gold instead. This forces the price of gold higher. When interest rates in the United States rise, the reverse occurs.

Investing in gold may be done in several ways: bullion, coins, shares and funds, and certificates. A number of companies specialize in the buying and selling of gold.

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